Beck, the longest-tenured football coach in school history, died on March 7 in his hometown of Higginsville, Missouri. He was 84.

“He’s very structured. He’s very disciplined. He was pretty hard on his players. He expected a lot out of them,” said current Chico High head football coach Jason Alvistur. “He was a disciplined coach. At the same time, everyone loved him and everyone had a tremendous amount of respect for him. Everybody loved playing for him.”

Alvistur, a 1990 Chico High graduate, played on the offensive line for Beck during the 1988 and 1989 seasons.

“He had that way of being strict, stern and disciplined but we knew he loved us and wanted the best for us,” Alvistur said.

Beck sported a final record of 153-64-7 after he retired from Chico High in 1993. His success over 22 seasons earned him an induction into the Chico Sports Hall of Fame in 1996. He won Northern Section championships in 1981, 1982, 1987 and 1989 and won an Eastern Athletic League title eight times.

“He wanted the best out of us. We always tried to do the best we could for him,” said Ken Fisher, who played for Beck during the 1972-73 seasons. “He just knew football. He was very much of a mastermind. It was like chess to him.”

Beck was born in Higginsville, Missouri on Feb. 7, 1936. He attended Higginsville High where he played four years of football earning all-conference, all-district and all-state honors. He also played basketball, baseball and competed in track while also serving as the student body president and editor of the school’s yearbook. He was also an Eagle Scout.

After graduating high school in 1954, Beck went on to attend the University of Missouri and Central Missouri State University to earn a bachelor’s and master’s degree in education and physical education. He played defensive halfback in college.

In 1960, he moved west to teach history and physical education in Fontana. Later, he landed a teaching job in Chico.

First, Beck coached the Chico Junior High football team, a position he had for five years.

On April 27, 1971, Beck was named the head varsity football coach at Chico High, taking over coaching duties for the retired Joseph ‘Rock’ McClellan.

As head coach, Beck embodied the likes of a drill sergeant, often counting out jumping jacks and football drills to a particular cadence.

Fisher, now the current Chico JV football coach, remembered the first time he met Beck at football practice.

“The first day we came out there he goes ‘I’m from Missouri and I’m from the show me state. You need to show me to be a starter,'” Fisher remembered. “He was old school. He had a lot of impact.”

Sam Simmons, a former Chico High basketball coach, coached against Beck when he was an assistant for Pleasant Valley.

“It was really hard to coach against him. I gained a true appreciation for him that way,” Simmons said. “The way he coached … you knew he was going to come right at you. His teams were not going to be denied.”

Simmons later came to Chico High where he worked with Beck for three years. In those three years, Simmons said Beck was one to always stick with his routine. One aspect of his routine would be to host a postgame party after every football game. Beck’s wife, Helen, would prepare the food, drinks were served and it was time for the coaches and their wives to bond.

“That was part of the routine. If you missed that routine, he made mention of it to you,” Simmons said. “If I did not adhere to the routine, I’d have to explain my actions.”

One day at Chico High, Simmons had to explain to Beck why he missed first period. Simmons had gone to Anderson and appeared as a guest speaker during the football team’s team breakfast. Simmons, who was friends with Anderson coach Bob Reid, returned to Chico High at lunchtime.

When Simmons revealed to Beck that he’d gone to Anderson to speak to the football team, Beck couldn’t believe it.

“(Beck) got up and shut the door and goes ‘How in the world could you do that? They are one of our toughest opponents and a real rival,'” Simmons recalled. “I said, ‘John for God’s sake, he’s my friend and he asked me to come talk.'”

Beck, in his most serious and stern looks, told Simmons ‘It was all about loyalty to Chico High.’

“That was one of my most memorable moments. I guess he forgave me,” Simmons quipped.

During a tough season, Alvistur said Beck never lost faith in the team. The now-Panthers head coach remembered Beck as always being tough but fair on his players.

And, according to a 1988 article in the Enterprise-Record, Beck was never one to run up the score on opponents, saying, “I’ve never understood why some coaches run up the score.”

“He never got down on us. We lost some games we shouldn’t have lost but he stayed with us — stayed positive and motivating,” Alvistur said. “He never stopped believing in us. He was just a good coach.”

Beck is survived by one brother, Tom (Jan) Beck and six nieces and nephews.